EDMONTON — The previous two games of the Stanley Cup Final were all about Connor McDavid, so much so that it was easy to forget there were other superstars among the Edmonton Oilers. This is what happens when the best player in the world scores eight points and keeps a season alive.
Well, Game 6 provided the clearest reminder that the Oilers are more than a one-man team. It was their next two best forwards, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, who came out on top this time in a massive 5-1 win.
Their efforts pushed Edmonton to their third straight victory, extending the series to game seven.
“We are in the final and we won’t get there without Hyms’ contribution,” said winger Mattias Janmark. “He was leading us at one point. Leo was probably dragging us at some point.
“Davo has been the face of his comeback, but we have a group of guys in this room doing their part.”
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It’s not that Draisaitl and Hyman torched the Florida Panthers on Friday. Each player had only one point. But both players were instrumental in creating two crucial goals – vital given they had remained relatively calm until then.
Draisaitl had only two assists before Friday, both in a blowout victory in Game 4. He was troubled by his lack of production before Game 6, saying he wasn’t playing to his abilities and swearing that he would “get into the show.” »
That’s exactly what he did.
With the Oilers rushing the odd man, Draisaitl gained the offensive blue line and made a beautiful pass to Warren Foegele – who coach Kris Knoblauch replaced Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the second line. Foegele made no mistake at 7:27 of the first period.
“He doesn’t need to answer.” I don’t think he’s playing bad at all,” Hyman said. “Leo holds himself to very high standards and he is a great driver of this team, so he is its biggest critic.
“I hope he feels good about his game like everyone else does. He threw us an incredible play.
It was only an assist, but it was a big pass.
This got the Oilers going, and they pretty much controlled the game from there. As for Draisaitl, it felt good to help the team the best way he knows how.
“I’m an offensive guy,” Draisaitl said. “Confidence sometimes comes from showing numbers. It’s like that.
“Do I have other things I’m good at?” Yes, of course. But sometimes it’s nice to make a play and get rewarded for it. You can ask any offensive player; It’s just what you feel. It felt good to make a great game and be rewarded for it, but there was still a lot to do.
Given Draisaitl’s background, this wouldn’t be surprising.
He is one of the most prolific post-season producers in NHL history. He entered the playoffs ranked third all-time with 1.57 points per game, behind Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
He only scored three points in the final but 31 points in 24 games, third in the playoffs behind McDavid and Evan Bouchard. He is now fifth in league history with 1.48 points per game.
Draisaitl had more notable outings than his lone assist in Game 6. It was more about how (and when) than how much.
“He’s a horse,” veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “He’s one of the best players in the world and (has) done so much for this team throughout the year and for this organization since he’s been here.
“He is always there in the biggest moments. You look at all of his performances in the playoffs. He’s one of the best to ever do it. He was huge tonight. Knowing him, he will want to retool and prepare for the next one.
If Draisaitl’s setup got the ball rolling for the Oilers, Hyman put the Panthers away.
Hyman hadn’t really torn it until Friday, either. He matched Draisaitl with two assists in Game 4 before Bouchard’s point shot hit him in front on the power play for his first goal of the Finals in Game 5.
He got full marks for his second goal of the series.
Hyman rushed into the neutral zone to grab the puck blocked by Nugent-Hopkins. He then got away from Aaron Ekblad before eluding a diving Gustav Forsling and firing a backhand shot past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky at 18:20 of the second period.
The goal showed a mix of will and skill from Hyman.
“I was just in the moment,” Hyman said. “It didn’t seem like that long to me at the time. I was trying to run towards the puck and I didn’t have much time when I got it. I was at hashmarks. I fixed the problem, I took action and I beat him.
Aside from a slight start to the Cup final, all Hyman has done this season is score.
Friday’s goal was his 16th in the playoffs, the best in the NHL. The only players to record that many in a single playoff series in the last 30 years are Hockey Hall of Famers Joe Sakic and Pavel Bure. Sakic scored 18 for Colorado in 1996 and Bure matched Hyman’s 16 for Vancouver in 1994.
Hyman is three goals behind Reggie Leach (Philadelphia, 1975) and Jari Kurri (Edmonton, 1985) for the league record.
“It’s impressive,” Draisaitl said. “He’s a hell of a hockey player. Very unique. He’s like a little bull. He jumps out the door like no one else can. His first strides are so powerful, and I think you really see it today on goal. He explodes and he’s gone, and he’s calm, cool and collected in front of the net. He knows just where to go. Really smart hockey player.
To top it all off, Hyman’s marker was his 70th in 2023-24 (regular season and playoffs), tying him with Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place.
McDavid, with 72 last season (64 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs), is the only active player to have more in a single campaign.
“What he will do this year, no one could have predicted,” Janmark said. “It never stops. It’s a unit there. He does so much for us.
Draisaitl’s assist early in Game 6 gave the Oilers a 5-1 victory. (Serguei Belsky / USA Today)
Hyman and Draisaitl were the offensive catalysts in the most important final game of the season for the Oilers.
No, they didn’t score four points like McDavid. But on a night where McDavid was kept off the scoresheet, their signature offensive plays were timely and impactful.
Hyman and Draisaitl stood out in a well-balanced attack that saw 11 different players record a point. (Foegele was the only Oiler to record a multi-point night.) One of the 11 was goalie Stuart Skinner, who made a stick save — one of his 20 saves — before sliding the puck towards Nurse for the second goal in an empty Oilers net. . Skinner joked that he felt like Draisaitl when he made a smooth pass.
“Not everyone is going to be lights out every game,” Janmark said. “But the strength of this team is we have different guys stepping up, and that’s the key to success so far.”
For two games, it was McDavid. His breathtaking display of skill in Games 4 and 5 made it a series and almost certainly earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy.
But Friday’s game showed that the Oilers are much more than McDavid. The supporting cast, led by numbers 18 and 29, enjoyed great success.
“Those two have been really good,” Knoblauch said. “Maybe they don’t appear on the scoresheet as much throughout the series as they usually do, but their contributions to the team have been huge.”
A streak that seemed like it was going fast not long ago is now tied. Few people thought it was possible.
First McDavid. Then Draisaitl and Hyman – and the rest of the Oilers. It was a remarkable comeback.
The Oilers became only the third team in NHL history to advance to the Stanley Cup Final after losing the first three games. The 1942 Maple Leafs completed the mission. The 1945 Detroit Red Wings did not.
And so, here’s just one more task for these Oilers.
“The work is not done,” Hyman said. “It’s a beautiful story but it needs to be finished. Everyone will forget if we don’t finish it. That’s the key. Everyone remembers the winners.
(Top photo of Zach Hyman celebrating after scoring in Game 6: Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)